U.K. defense procurement entirely 'joint'.

• Author: Jean, Grace
• Position: CENTCOM

While the U.S. military continues to debate how best to develop and procure joint-service weapons systems, in nations such as the United Kingdom, the entire defense acquisition system is based upon joint requirements.

In the United Kingdom, one pot of money is split amongst 13 capability directorates, such as strike and maneuver, instead of divided out by services, Lt. Col. Mark Mangham, permanent joint headquarters liaison officer to U.S. Joint Forces Command, told National Defense.

Each directorate is staffed by joint officers so that one person is in charge of procurement for all branches of the military. For example, the strike directorate might be deciding what missile to buy for both ships and ground artillery.

To ensure they are getting the most for their money, British officials are forced to prioritize programs and go through cost analysis and other measures, he added. Such screening resembles the U.S. evaluation process that was put in place two years ago, through the joint capabilities integration and development system, or JCIDS.

However, having joint directorates deciding how to spend money on programs does not inoculate them from acquisition ills, said Mangham. The U.K. also is struggling with...